The pandemic response and efforts to broaden access to vaccines and treatments at the height of COVID-19 are being seen as key strengths of the biopharmaceutical industry, according to a recent Ipsos survey.
The said survey was commissioned by the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations (IFPMA) and conducted in 11 countries with a representative sample of 11,000 people across both high and lower-income countries.
The survey found that about 68% of respondents agree that research-based pharmaceutical companies have a leading role in advancing new technologies, such as better, more effective medicines or vaccines that are useful in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. At least 62% agree that pharmaceutical companies are doing all they can to develop solutions to COVID-19. Moreover, 67% agree that the industry has a leading role in the development of new technologies that could be useful in response to future public health crises, such as pandemics.
The research-based pharmaceutical industry also generated more trust compared to other sectors measured, such as technology, banking, and insurance. Academic institutions, health agencies, and regulatory affairs agencies are the most trusted institutions, followed by the research-based pharmaceutical industry which solicits marginally higher levels of trust than governments and the media.
The public recognized research-based pharmaceutical innovation as beneficial to society and the economy, with 60% agreeing that they make positive contributions to society; 63% agreeing that they contribute to improving health, globally; and 55% agreeing that companies make a positive contribution to the economy.
In the Philippines, the role of the biopharmaceutical industry has been in transforming healthcare by bringing research and innovation that save and improve the quality of life of Filipinos. In a recent interview on TV5’s program Agenda, Roche general manager Dr. Diana Edralin emphasized that the industry’s impact to society is on ensuring that the biopharmaceutical innovations benefit patients and, in the process, contribute to growing the Philippine economy.
Also the president of the Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Association of the Philippines (PHAP), Dr. Edralin said that the industry has introduced 575 new drugs in the country over the last five years. These are for cardiovascular, respiratory, metabolic, oncology and other diseases that impact the health and well-being of Filipinos. In the past two years, the industry also conducted 154 clinical trials in the country. The majority of the R&D process — in terms of investments and duration — happens during the clinical trial process.
Dr. Edralin also emphasized the need for policies and regulations that enable innovation as well as multi-stakeholder partnerships that have been critical in the success of the introduction of innovation. At the same, the industry has introduced a number of collaborations among local government units that initiated capability building and medicine access schemes, among others.
One of these collaborations with the local governments is the PHAPCares Foundation partnership with the La Union Provincial Government and two of its municipalities, Bauang and San Juan.
Last week, PHAPCares President Lotis Ramin signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) with La Union Governor Raphaelle Veronica Ortega-David to facilitate and fast track the implementation of Universal Healthcare in the province.
“We have recognized, through the pandemic, that our healthcare system was really put under extreme pressure. If there’s one thing that was clear during the pandemic was that the Filipinos are resilient. But we cannot count on pure resilience alone and so sustainability is a very important element in how we design the way moving forward, how we take the lessons from the pandemic. Another thing that we have learned is the importance of coming together,” said Ramin, who is also country president of AstraZeneca Philippines.
Under the partnership, PHAPCares will provide the expertise to support the health advocacy on WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene), and oral health and other disease in the LGU sites. PHAPCares will also help train community health volunteers and provide the necessary materials to support the barangay health workers and stations among others. The Foundation will bring with them their experience in medicine donation programs that have exceeded P1 billion in value since the start in 2003. It has also trained more than 630 responders under the Earthquake, Landslide Search and Rescue Orientation Course with the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA). Since 2015, the Foundation has also served 5,000 families through its medical outreach programs.
Since the start of the pandemic, the biopharmaceutical industry has demonstrated how it is committed to save and improve the lives of our people while contributing to reignite the economy. In tackling current and future health challenges, the biopharmaceutical industry will continue to play a crucial role, and show that public-private collaborations will be as important as ever.
Teodoro B. Padilla is the executive director of Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Association of the Philippines (PHAP). PHAP represents the biopharmaceutical medicines and vaccines industry in the country. Its members are in the forefront of research and development efforts for COVID-19 and other diseases that affect Filipinos.
